Below you
will find information about me, the courses I teach at UT Martin, my
research interests, and my work with K-12 educators. Come in and
browse around for a while. For the standard information about my
professional career visit my
vitae.
If it is my publications your are interested in visit my
publications
page.

The quote above summarizes my philosophy of teaching quite well.
Lectures are necessary, especially to learn the “language” of
geology, but I believe that students learn best by doing. I encourage
active engagement of the science. I try to incorporate students into
my research activities as much as possible by taking them on my field
trips (I am always going somewhere) and providing them opportunities
to conduct their own research. I encourage students to attend
professional meetings and present their work at these meetings.

In addition to the courses I teach at UT Martin and my research, I
work extensively with K-12 teachers in Tennessee. During the academic
year I can be found giving talks at area schools on geologic topics
ranging from minerals and rocks to earthquakes to fossils (yes,
especially dinosaurs for the kids). During the summer months I often
run workshops and lead field trips for teachers who want to
incorporate geology into their curricula. Currently I serve as the
Geological Society of America Southeastern Section Education
Coordinator for Tennessee and the National Association of Geoscience
Teachers Education Coordinator for Tennessee. You can find more about
these activities by visiting:

Tennessee Earth Science Teachers Association
(TEST)-
visit this site to learn about the Outstanding Earth Science Educator
for Tennesse!